The Anti-Bronzer.

When Chanel launched their Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour SPF 15 Powders, truth be told, I had a difficult time understanding what all the fuss was about. Was it a face powder? Was it not a face powder? What exactly was so special about it?

It wasn't until I saw the powder mentioned on Lil Lady's Life a few times before I finally decided to give it a shot, still unsure of its purpose, simply because J.'s recommendations have yet to leave me disappointed.

Since I had my heart set on using the powder to warm up my complexion rather than as an all-over setting powder, I went with shade N^o30,  one shade darker than my skin tone. The powder comes housed in a beautifully chic black and ivory compact. A surprisingly great quality brush is included but annoyingly, it' as separated from the powder only by a dinky piece of black plastic that needs to be removed and set aside each time in order to access the powder.

N^o30 is noticeably orange in tone, but the sheer quality of the powder means that it doesn't translate as such on the skin. There are miniscule shimmer particles that can be detected in the pan, but they are so sparse throughout the powder that again, they don't translate as shimmer on the skin. 

I apply N^o30 with my EcoTools Bronzer Brush in the classic 3 shape on each side of my face, similarly to how I would typically apply bronzer, but the effect is so much more subtle and natural. It creates an effortlessly soft glow that warms up my complexion just enough. I call it the "anti-bronzer" because it achieves everything I aim for with bronzer, but without any of the fuss or fear of over-application, muddiness, or everyone's favorite - the oompa loompa effect. The powder is impossible to mess up - it blends into the skin with minimal effort and just looks like one with the skin the very second it's applied.

What the Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Powder is used for is completely dependent on your skin tone and which shade of powder you're using. For example:

- Dusting on a powder that is two or three shades lighter than your skin tone could be used to softly illuminate the high points of the face.
- The shade that matches your skin tone could be used all over to gently set foundation without any cakey-ness in sight.
- Choosing a shade or two darker than your skin tone, like I have, could be used to add a warm, healthy glow to the complexion. 

I truly think that Chanel could not have come up with a more apt name than Healthy Glow Sheer Colour, because that's exactly what the powder is and exactly what it accomplishes - sheer color that creates a healthy glow. 

Happy to have another winner in my arsenal, thanks to J. :)

The Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour SPF 15 Powder is available from Nordstrom for $57.50.